Wheelbarrow



Patented Feb. 9, 1926..

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE.

WHEELBARROW.

Application filed June 1s, 1924. serial No. 720,760.

To alli/whom it' may concern.'

Be it known that I, lFREDERICK HENKEL, a citizen of the United States, residing/at Long Beach, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improv en1ents.in vWheelbarrows, of which the following is a specification.

This invention particularly pertains to the wheel or running gear construction of wheelbarrows and the like, and has as its primary object the provision of a wheel arrangement for wheelbarrows whereby the advantages incident to mutiple wheels is attained without detracting from. the desirable features of the single wheel as commonly employed.

Another object is to provide a wheelbarrowI with an increased spread of Wheel tread to afford stability.

Another object is to provide a Wheelbarrow in which the load may be distributed to the front and rear of the vertical axis of the supporting Wheels whereby the load carried by the operator will be reduced to a minimum.

Another Objectis to provide a novel wheel arrangement which can be applied to the ordinary wheelbarrow to increase its wheel base.

A further object is to provide a Wheelbarrow in which both lateral and longitudinal dumping of the contents will be facilitated.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with such other objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in the parts and in the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed and illustrated by Way of example in the accompanying drawin in which,-

Figure 1 is a side vlew of a wheelbarrow as constructed in accordance with the `invention. i l Figure 2 is a view of the wheelbarro'w" as seen in front elevation.

Figure 3 is a perspective View illustrating the invention as applied to the ordinary Wheelbarrow.

Figure 4 is a detail in vsection illustrating a modified form of the Wheelbarrow axle.v

Figure 5 is a view in elevation of another modified form of the axle. j

Figure 6 is a view in elevation showing a trunnon which may ble'employed in lieu of an ax e.

Figure 7 is a View in section and elevation of the wheel spindle showing the manner of adjustably mounting the wheel thereon,

lReferring to thedrawing more specifically, 8 indicates the wheelbarrowfbody or tray which is fitted with the usual handles .1 and legs l0, and which parts may be of any suitable construction.

In carrying out my invention I provide a pair of wheels 11 and 12 which are arranged on the oppositesides of the tray and are set at an angle to each other so as to approach each other near the ground and spread at the top. The .wheels are formed with the usual hub 13, felly 14, and spokes 15 connecting the `hub and felly; the telly being preferably formed with its tread inclined so that when the wheel is dispose-d in a canted position the tread will extend parallel to the ground at its point of con,- tact. rl"he tread face may be either flat or curved transversely. vrllhe wheels 11 and 12 are revolubly mounted' on downwardly inclined spindles or trunnions 16 which may be attached to the wheelbarrow frame or tray in any desired manner. In Figure 2 the spindles are shown as formed on a crossbar 17 integral therewith which cross-barils secured to and carried by a frame formed in continuation of the handles 9. In some instances it may be desirable to mount the spindles so that they may be adjusted in various spaced relations to .each other and to this end the spindles may be formed ony separate membersv which may be adjusted longitudinally of each other, such for example as shownin Figure 4, in which 18 indicates a bar on which onel of the spindles is mounted and 19 designates a tube carrying the other spindle, and which tube and bar are adapted to telescope and are secured ytogether in Various adjusted positions by means of a bolt 20 which passes through the tube 19 and is adapted `to extend through any oneof a number of openings 21 in the bar 18.

Another form of mounting ofthe spindles is shown in Figure 5 in which 22 and 23 .indlcate a air of bars carrying the spindles -and'whic 1 bars areadapted to extend longitudinally of each other andare connected together by means of bolts 24 and 25 assing through apertures inthe bars there inga series of apertures in eachbar adapted to register with apertures in the other bar whereby the rods 22 and 23 may be secured together at various longitudinal positions relative to each other. 'In some instances it may be desirable to mount the spindles directly to the wheelbarrow body or frame independent of each other in which event the construction inFigure 6 maybe employed, in which the spindle is formed 'on a bracket 26 of suitable design which may be secured to the wheelbarrow tray or framein any desired manner.

The eanted wheels 11 and' 12 are spaced apart at their point of contact. with the ground, and interposed between the canted wheels is a third wheel 27 of lesser diameter than the canted wheels, the axis of which is preferably arranged on a. vertical plane extending a short distance forward of the plane of the axes of the canted wheel so that when the wheelbarrow is rocked forward on the axes of the wheels 11 and 12 the third wheel 27 will be moved rearwardl a short distance whereby it will be ositioned to bear on the ground substantially intermediate the'point of contact of the tread portions of the eanted Wheels. The third wheel -27 is here shown as carried by a yoke 28 which may be secured to the under side of the wheelbarrow, in any desired manner.

In the constructions shown in Figures 1 and 2 the canted Wheels 11 and 12 and the third wheely 27 are arranged substantiallyv With this arrangement the load may be carriedon either the single .wheel or the canted wheels or both, as occasion may require. In some instances it may be desirable to adjust the wheels on the spindles, in which event l the spindles may be formed of such length relative to the wheel hub that shim washers 29 may be interposed between either end of the wheel hub and the usual abutments provided on the spindle, as shown in Figure 7. By thus arranging the canted wheels 11 and 12, a relatively wide wheel base or tread is afforded, and which, by reason of the wheels being inclined, will permit ready dumping of the wheelbarrow to either side. By mounting the wheels intermediate the ends of the Wheelbarrow tray, forward or end dumping ofthe wheelbarrow is facilitated.

This application is a continua-tion in part ot my application for wheelbarrows, filed September 22, 1923, Serial Number 664,207.

I claim- 1. In a wheelbarrow, a pair of inclined Wheels set at an angle to each other so as to approach each other l near the ground and spread at the top, and a third wheel arranged to Contact the ground on a line extending intermediate the point of contact of the tread ortions of said inclined Wheels.

2. In a. w eelbarrow, a pair of inclinedwheels set at an angle to each other so as to 'approach each other near the ground and FREDERicK HENKEL. 

